


Unlikely Gifts

by KrisEleven



Series: Mithros Bless Us, Every One [1]
Category: PIERCE Tamora - Works, Protector of the Small - Tamora Pierce, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Canon Compliant, Forum: Goldenlake, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-29
Updated: 2012-12-29
Packaged: 2017-11-22 21:51:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/614739
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrisEleven/pseuds/KrisEleven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wyldon stared for a long moment at the name on the Midwinter gift that had been delivered to his office by the servants overnight. He had not been expecting any gifts, so why was there a gift in his office marked with Keladry of Mindelan's name?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unlikely Gifts

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place after Lady Knight. It was written last winter for Goldenlake's Wishlist event.

* * *

Wyldon stared for a long moment at the name on the Midwinter gift that had been delivered to his office by the servants overnight. He had not been expecting any gifts; he saved that sort of carrying on for when he was at home with his wife and daughters, not for when he was commanding officer at a fort in the middle of the second year of a long and drawn-out war with Scanra. He had never encouraged this sort of behaviour. Even Jesslaw had never gotten him a present for Midwinter.

So why was there a gift in his office marked with Keladry of Mindelan’s name?

He took the present over to his chair by the fireplace, which had been stoked into cheery flames before he had arrived fifteen minutes ago. Turning the plainly wrapped parcel over, he contemplated his old student’s motives. If it had been anyone else, he would have suspected they were trying to make up for something they had done (albeit in the wrong way entirely, if meant to influence Wyldon’s opinion), but committing treason, running away behind enemy lines, saving a camp’s population from enemy hands and delivering the death of the main weapon’s manufacturer of the enemy was not a series of actions that was adequately responded to with Midwinter gift-giving.

In addition, Wyldon thought Keladry of Mindelan could not have been forced into apologizing for rescuing her people. 

And Wyldon of Cavall would never have asked it of her.

The thought made him smile slightly as he found a fold in the paper and carefully peeled the wrapping away from the box that held his gift. He folded the paper and put it aside before he opened the small box and looked down into it.

The porcelan waving cat looked back up at him.

Luckily, there was a note explaining that entirely unlikely turn of events.

_Sir Wyldon,_

_In the Yamani Islands, these cats represent good luck. I don’t have many left to give away this Midwinter, and could not think of someone who deserved and needed good fortune more than you._

_You probably think it is a foolish idea, but since I cannot give you and your men luck for the rest of the war, I will give you this._

_Happy Midwinter._

_Keladry of Mindelan_

Wyldon looked from the note back down the cat that still waved at him from its nest in the paper that padded its box. They could bring luck? Utterly ridiculous. And yet...he had always liked cats. 

He took the cat out gently, and set her note and the box on top of the folded and discarded wrapping. Putting the cat gently on the mantel where he could see it from his seat behind his desk, but where it would not be noticed by Jesslaw if he came in and sat in his usual chair took some rearranging of the sparse decorations.

He sat in his office chair and smiled at the waving figure that looked back at him. He had always liked cats, and who could turn down a little bit of luck in the middle of a war, after all.


End file.
